“Absent special provisions, the president typically has the authority to execute or administer the laws,” Fraser said. “As long as the president is complying with the law, he can decide when to stop recovery efforts.”

Fraser added, however, that “just because the president can exercise certain powers to limit federal involvement in the disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, one would hope that he would refrain from decision making that would not only harm the people of Puerto Rico but also undermine the organizational effectiveness of FEMA and other agencies.”